Cheesy chicken broccoli orzo is ready in less than 30 minutes and makes the perfect one pan meal. Chopped chicken, broccoli, and orzo are coated in a creamy and flavorful homemade cheese sauce.
Skillet meals make the perfect weeknight dinner after a hectic day. Reader favorites on the site include hamburger helper and chicken mushroom orzo. This cheesy chicken broccoli orzo is no exception - it comes together in a single pan in about 30 minutes!
Sauteed chicken, broccoli, and orzo are coated in a homemade creamy cheddar cheese sauce. It's flavorful, hearty, and comforting, like a grown up mac and cheese!
This meal is so easy to make you'll be adding it to your weekly rotation. It makes the perfect weeknight meal that adults and kids alike will enjoy.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Chicken breasts - Can be substituted with cubed chicken thighs if desired. You can also substitute with shredded rotisserie chicken. Simply skip the steps of seasoning and cooking your chicken and continue with the recipe as written.
- Seasoning - Salt, pepper, paprika, and red pepper flakes add flavor to your dish without making it spicy. For a truly mild dish, the red pepper flakes can be omitted.
- Olive oil - Any neutral cooking oil on hand will work.
- Aromatics - Onion and garlic add flavor to the dish. While fresh minced garlic adds the best flavor, two cloves of garlic can be substituted with ½ teaspoon of garlic powder if needed.
- Chicken broth - Can be substituted with vegetable broth. If using a low or no sodium broth, consider increasing the seasoning in the recipe to make up for the lost flavor.
- Orzo - Can be substituted with other small pasta shapes.
- Broccoli - Can be substituted with chopped cauliflower or brussels sprouts. Asparagus or frozen peas are also great choices, but should be added in the last 3 minutes since they cook faster.
- Heavy cream - Makes your sauce thick and creamy. Can be substituted with half & half for a slightly thinner sauce.
- Sharp cheddar cheese - Can be substituted with pepper jack cheese (for an extra kick of flavor) or monterey jack cheese. No matter the cheese you choose, I recommend freshly shredding your cheese. Pre-shredded cheeses are coated in powders to prevent clumping, which when melted can give your sauce a grainy texture.
Tips and tricks
Measure pasta and liquid exactly - This recipe is cooked in a single pan, so it's very important to measure your pasta and liquids exactly to avoid a thin or dry skillet meal. The pasta soaks up the liquid as it cooks, so only a small amount of liquid should remain once the pasta is cooked to al dente.
Food sticking to the pan? - Add a bit of liquid and turn the heat down - your stove is too hot. Stoves all run at slightly different temperatures, even if they're turned to the same setting.
Sauce look thin? - If your sauce looks thin, remove the finished dish from the heat and allow it to set, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Your sauce will continue to thicken as it stands.
Use freshly shredded cheese - Pre-shredded cheeses are often coated in anti-clumping powders that get grainy when melted. I recommend grating cheese fresh from a block for best flavor and texture.
Frequently asked questions
There are no thickening agents added to this recipe (like flour or cornstarch). Instead, we're using the starches released by the pasta as it cooks to thicken the sauce on its own. It's extremely important to properly measure the pasta and liquid in the recipe to prevent it from turning out thin. If your sauce looks thin after cooking, remove it from the heat and allow it to set for 5 minutes undisturbed. The sauce will continue to thicken as it stands.
Leftovers will keep for 3-4 days in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator and can be reheated on the stovetop over medium heat or in the microwave. You may want to add a splash of cream or milk to help thin the sauce while it reheats.
Yes, chopped cauliflower can be added alongside or substituted for broccoli. Chopped asparagus or frozen peas can be added about 3 minutes before your pasta finishes cooking, or a handful of spinach can be added just before the heavy cream step.
Cheesy chicken broccoli orzo has a mild, savory flavor with a hint of heat from the added red pepper flakes. This recipe gets its flavor from the onion, garlic, chicken broth, paprika, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. If any of these ingredients are omitted, it will affect the flavor of your dish. If you're using low or no sodium broth, this also reduces the flavor of the dish. Need to use no sodium broth? I highly recommend adding additional seasoning to the dish to make up for the lost flavor.
Yes! Skip the first two steps of seasoning and cooking your chicken and continue with the remainder of the recipe as written.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Orzo
Ingredients
- 16 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 18 ounces chicken broth
- 1 cup orzo, uncooked
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 head broccoli, chopped into small florets
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 ½ cups sharp cheddar cheese, freshly shredded
Instructions
- Cube chicken breasts into bite size pieces and season with salt and pepper.
- In a sauté pan over medium heat, and add one tablespoon of olive oil. When hot, add chicken in a single layer and cook until heated to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit, about 3-4 minutes, flipping once halfway through. Remove from pan, cover, and set aside.
- Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, add onions, and cook until they begin to brown and turn translucent. Add minced garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds.
- Add chicken broth, paprika, red pepper flakes, and orzo to the pan, scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze. Bring to a simmer, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 5 minutes (or, consult your pasta's package directions and cook to al dente, minus 5 minutes).
- Remove lid and add chopped broccoli. Stir to combine. Cover and cook for the remaining 5 minutes, allowing broccoli to steam and pasta to finish cooking. Most of the liquid should be absorbed at this point.
- Remove lid and add heavy cream, shredded cheese, and cooked chicken. Stir to combine. Cook an additional 1 to 2 minutes on low, or until cheese has melted. Remove from heat and allow to set for 5 minutes to allow sauce to thicken before serving.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- One head of broccoli = about 3 cups of small broccoli florets
- Leftovers will keep for 3 days or more in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator, and reheat well in the microwave.
- Chicken breasts can be substituted with chicken thighs or shredded rotisserie chicken. If using cooked chicken, skip steps one and two, and continue with the recipe as written.
- Freshly shredded cheese from a block is highly recommended. Pre-shredded cheeses contain anti-clumping powders that prevent even melting and make your sauce grainy.
- If using low sodium broth, you may want to add additional seasoning to make up for the loss of flavor.
Made this tonight and the family loved it. We willl be making it again! Thanks so much!
This is such a good recipe!!
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Suzi!
This was good, but it had no flavor. I'll have to tweak it with some more spices next time.
Hi Robin, did you by chance use a low sodium broth, or substitute/omit any ingredients? The broth adds a significant amount of flavor to the meal, along with the garlic, onion, salt, pepper, paprika, and red pepper flakes.
My family Loved it! Much better than the box meal at Walmart just need to add more cheese next time thankyou for the recipe
Awesome. Followed the recipe as written. Family loved it. Thanks for sharing.